3D Apparel Printing with Predistortion for Irregular Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printing methods on apparel result in distorted patterns when the fabric is stretched or conforming to irregular three-dimensional surfaces, such as the human body, due to nonuniform stretching and the presence of padding or protective materials.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for 3D printing a predistorted pattern onto a simple surface, such as a cylinder, which accounts for the distortions that occur when the fabric is placed on an irregular surface, ensuring the pattern appears undistorted when worn, using a computing device to calculate and display a predistorted pattern based on dimensional and imaging information from both the wearer's body and the fabric.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a standard 3D printing method is used to print patterns directly onto apparel fabric, then the printing process is simple and straightforward, but the patterns become distorted when the fabric is stretched or conforming to irregular three-dimensional surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-distorting the pattern before printing it onto the fabric. The system calculates the expected distortion that will occur when the fabric is stretched or conforming to a 3D surface, and applies the inverse distortion to the pattern beforehand. This ensures that when the fabric is later stretched or shaped, the pattern appears undistorted to the end user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary anti-action by applying a counter-distortion to the pattern that opposes the expected distortion. The system determines the distortion vector field that will occur during fabric deformation and applies an equal and opposite distortion to the pattern, effectively canceling out the harmful distortion effect when the fabric is worn or stretched.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fabric is made to conform to irregular three-dimensional surfaces such as the human body, then the apparel fits the wearer properly, but the printed patterns become distorted due to nonuniform stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-calculating and applying the inverse of the expected distortion field to the pattern before printing. The distortion field is determined based on the irregular 3D surface geometry (such as human body contours), and the pattern is pre-distorted in the opposite direction so that when the fabric conforms to the surface, the pattern appears undistorted.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by varying the distortion correction across different regions of the pattern. Each local area of the fabric experiences different amounts and types of stretching when conforming to an irregular surface, so the system applies location-specific distortion corrections to each region of the pattern, ensuring uniform appearance across the entire apparel piece.
3Reliability
If padding or protective materials are added to the apparel, then the protection and comfort are improved, but the printed patterns become more distorted due to additional nonuniform stretching
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by incorporating the expected distortion caused by padding or protective materials into the pre-distortion calculation. The distortion field is determined based on the complete apparel structure including any padding layers, and the pattern is pre-distorted accordingly so that the final appearance remains undistorted despite the additional nonuniform stretching from the padding.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are disclosed for three-dimensional printing directly onto an article of apparel. Disclosed is a method and system for direct three-dimensional printing onto an article of apparel, including receiving an undistorted three-dimensional pattern for display on the article, the undistorted three-dimensional pattern configured for placement on an irregular three-dimensional surface; creating a predistorted three-dimensional pattern from the undistorted three-dimensional pattern for printing onto a simple three-dimensional shaped object; receiving the predistorted three-dimensional pattern in a three-dimensional printing system; and printing the predistorted three-dimensional pattern onto the article.